Not all 'surrogates' have signed on to re-election effort

Jan. 12, 2012

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Written by

Michael Cass

The Tennessean

A "wish list" of high-profile surrogates circulated by the Obama campaign includes some prominent Nashville names, including Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry and attorney Robert Tuke. / Illustration by Merry Eccles / Gannett Design Studio / Getty Images

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Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton is there, labeled as a “philanthropist.” More than 30 years after she got her start in Nashville, talk show host/actress/icon/billionaire Oprah Winfrey is listed but given no title at all.

The names of those celebrities and 190 more — many of them household names — appear on a list of potential surrogates circulated by President Barack Obama’s campaign last month.

The list, distributed to a group of campaign donors in Washington and obtained by The Tennessean, gives a sense of who could help carry the Democratic president’s message to voters across the country over the next 10 months. It’s full of musicians, athletes, movie stars, elected officials, Cabinet members (though not Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Obama’s former rival) and other politicos.

They range from rapper Jay-Z — but not his famous wife, Beyoncé — and actor George Clooney to comedian-turned-U.S. senator Al Franken and superstar investor Warren Buffett.

Dated Dec. 5, the seven-page list has 194 names under the heading, “Confirmed and Passed Surrogates.” One of the lesser-known people on it, Nashville attorney and Democratic activist Bob Tuke, said he wasn’t aware of the list but had agreed to speak about veterans’ issues and other matters on Obama’s behalf.

But not everyone in the “Confirmed and Passed” group is necessarily confirmed.

Mary Hilliard Harrington, chief publicist for Lady Antebellum, said the group, which won five Grammy Awards less than a year ago, was blindsided by questions about the list.

“The members of Lady Antebellum did not submit their name for inclusion on the surrogate list for Obama’s campaign,” Harrington said in a statement. “Your request for confirmation comes as a surprise to me because the band has never commented on their political affiliations nor do they plan to in the future.”

A spokesperson for The Band Perry, which performed at the White House on Nov. 21, said the band hasn’t endorsed anyone for president and isn’t likely to.

Roster is 'wish list'

In a written statement, the Obama campaign said the list mentions people it simply hopes will be on the president’s team as he faces a difficult re-election fight against a Republican to be named later.

“This was a wish list of people and groups who may be asked to participate in a campaign event,” Addie Whisenant, a spokeswoman for the Obama campaign, said Wednesday.

“Not everyone on this list has been contacted or agreed to help the campaign. We’ve already received robust support and participation from surrogates across the country, and that will only ramp up in 2012.”

Whisenant declined to say why the surrogate list described the people on it as “confirmed and passed,” if some haven’t even been approached.

A representative of another Tennessee-based celebrity on the list, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Al Green, did not respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday. But there seems to be little doubt that the soul singer is all aboard the Obama train. He and India.Arie, another singer listed as a surrogate, are scheduled to perform at a campaign fundraiser Obama will attend at the Apollo Theater in New York on Jan. 19.

The surrogate list includes a “job title” for almost everyone. Winfrey and a few others are exceptions. Green, who has preached at Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis since 1976, is described as “reverend.”

Politicians sparse

The list does not include Tennessee’s three best-known Democratic politicians: former two-term Gov. Phil Bredesen and U.S. Reps. Jim Cooper of Nashville and Steve Cohen of Memphis. Cooper and Cohen are the only Democrats in the state’s 11-member congressional delegation.

But elected officials in general are more likely to be off the list than on it. Just nine sitting officeholders and a handful of former ones are there, including three governors, three senators (including both of Minnesota’s), the congresswoman who chairs the Democratic National Committee and two officials from Obama’s hometown, Chicago: a young alderman and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was Obama’s first chief of staff.

Bredesen said he has volunteered “to people in the White House” to help the campaign wherever he’s needed, though the state he led for eight years is probably out of reach.

“Tennessee is not in play, so my usefulness, as it really was in the last election, is probably in going to Ohio and North Carolina and some of the other states,” he said in a phone interview. “But I’ve offered that, and if they’d like to make use of it, I’ll be happy to do it.”

In a statement provided by his re-election campaign, Cooper said he’s ready to work for a second Obama term.

“President Obama has had the toughest job in the world for the past three years,” Cooper said. “While I haven’t agreed with every decision he’s made, he has significant achievements to his credit, and our economy is starting to improve. I look forward to helping him win re-election in the fall.”

Tuke, a former Tennessee Democratic Party chairman who ran for the Senate in 2008, said Justin Wilkins, Obama’s Tennessee campaign director, asked him to be a surrogate. A Marine veteran who served in Vietnam, Tuke said he’s spoken on veterans’ affairs and is ready to discuss matters of “local interest in Tennessee” on behalf of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

“I’m an enthusiastic Obama supporter, and I believe very much that he needs to be re-elected,” he said, adding that he periodically receives campaign emails that provide talking points about various issues. “So I will make myself available.”

Wilkins did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Entries puzzling

The list includes a musician best known for hits now 25 years old, Bruce Hornsby, alongside some who could hardly be more in the public eye right now, like Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, one of the judges on NBC’s hit show The Voice. Country star Blake Shelton, another judge on the show, is not on the list; nor is his famous wife, singer Miranda Lambert.

The titles given to those on the list don’t always demonstrate a firm grasp on their career paths. Television basketball commentator Clark Kellogg, for example, is listed as “NBA player,” though he retired in 1987.

While actors such as Clooney, Tom Hanks, Tina Fey and Bradley Cooper are on the list, Matt Damon isn’t. A big supporter of Obama in 2008, Damon has expressed disillusionment with the president’s leadership on several occasions in the past year.

Then there are a few people who may have never spent a moment under klieg lights. One of the last entries on the list is Kaye Wilson. Her title? “Sasha and Malia’s Godmother.”